WHITE HOUSE EYES A POWERFUL POST FOR INTELLIGENCE

Published: April 16, 2004

(Page 2 of 2)

But he also said he would have deep reservations about any overhaul that would separate the position of C.I.A. director from that of overall intelligence chief, an idea that has been sharply debated among intelligence professionals.

''I believe that if you separate the D.C.I. from the troops, from operators and analysts, I have a concern about his or her effectiveness,'' he said, adding, ''I wouldn't separate the individual from the institution.''

By contrast, the vice chairman of the commission, former Representative Lee H. Hamilton, has in the past advocated separating the two jobs. A director of national intelligence, he said in 2002, would ''have control over much, if not most, of the intelligence community budget, and the power to manage key appointments.''

''You cannot be head of the intelligence community and head of the C.I.A. at the same time,'' Mr. Hamilton said in testimony before the joint Congressional committee looking into the Sept. 11 attacks.

In a telephone interview on Thursday, Mr. Hamilton said that he would not object to a White House effort to pre-empt the commission's findings, and that he was heartened that Mr. Bush had displayed ''an open mind'' on the issue. He said the commission had not yet reached a consensus on what change it might recommend.

''I'm interested in the question of giving more power to the director of intelligence, with a small d, and I don't want to go beyond that,'' he said. ''But it is clear to me that there needs to be more unity in the intelligence community in terms of budget and management and personnel.'

The intelligence community spans the breadth of the government, but the vast bulk of its overall budget falls within the Defense Department, whose intelligence agency chiefs report simultaneously to the secretary of defense and the director of central intelligence.

The Central Intelligence Agency, though the best known part of the community, consumes only about a tenth of the overall budget, government officials say. By law, the director of central intelligence oversees the entire community as well as the C.I.A., but his authority over other agencies is limited, particularly on personnel and budget matters. In practice, the Sept. 11 panel said in its recent staff report, Mr. Tenet, like most of its predecessors, has devoted the bulk of his attention to his own agency rather than the broader community.

While praising some recent innovations, like the new Terrorism Threat Integration Center, a joint venture of the C.I.A. and the F.B.I., the presidential commission has criticized the intelligence community as not having mounted a concerted strategy to address the threat posed by terrorism before Sept. 11.

A December 1998 memorandum by Mr. Tenet that declared intelligence agencies to be ''at war'' against terrorism was either never seen or essentially ignored by intelligence chiefs outside the C.I.A., the staff report said.

Chart: ''Weighing Stronger Control Over Intelligence Agencies'' As director of central intelligence, George J. Tenet runs the C.I.A. and coordinates the work of 15 intelligence departments and agencies. The Bush administration is considering centralizing the leadership of national intelligence as a response to criticism from the Sept. 11 commission. MILITARY AGENCIES Defense Intelligence Agency -- provides military intelligence to the armed forces and to policymakers. Each armed service has its own intelligence element: Army Intelligence Navy Intelligence Air Force Intelligence Marine Corps Intelligence National Security Agency -- intercepts, decodes and translates foreign communications. National Geospatial- Intelligence Agency -- analyzes aerial and satellite photographs and prepares maps. National Reconnais-sance Office -- builds and operates spy satellites. INDEPENDENT AGENCY Central Intelligence Agency -- collects and analyzes foreign intelligence and conducts clandestine activities. Counterterrorist Center -- reports directly to the director of central intelligence. Terrorist Threat Integration Center -- is a joint venture of the C.I.A., F.B.I., Homeland Security and other agencies to analyze and share intelligence on terrorism. PARTS OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS F.B.I. -- The National Security Division conducts domestic counterintelligence and counterterrorism activities and investigates international criminal cases. Homeland Security Dept. -- The Directorate of Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection determines domestic vulnerabilities to terrorist attack. Coast Guard Intelligence -- is part of Homeland Security. State Dept. -- The Bureau of Intelligence and Research provides analysis on foreign policy matters. Energy Dept. -- The Office of Intelligence is concerned with nuclear weapons, nuclear energy and energy-related areas. Treasury Dept. -- The Office of Intelligence Support studies intelligence relating to financial matters. (Source: by C.I.A.)(pg. A16)